Junior Kayla Nelson pushes herself in the sprint events at the state track and field meet.

RC represented well at state track and field

Rush City’s state-qualifying athletes showed up to compete at the Class A state track and field championships last Friday and Saturday.

The Tigers sent three individuals and one relay to the event at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Junior Kayla Nelson had a successful showing for her second trip to the big show. The Tiger qualified for state in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and was able to come away with a spot on the podium by taking fifth place in the 400-meter dash. Nelson had a stellar time by breaking 59.00 with a mark of 58.42. Sophomore Jenna Gatz of Belle Plaine/Holy Family Academy took first place in 57.85.

Demario Peterkin added to his hardware from the state meet last year in the sprint events. The sophomore, who missed placing in the 100-and-200-meter dashes last year, took sixth place in the 100-meter dash over the weekend with a time of 11.43, then earned second place in the 200-meter dash in 22.51.

Peterkin, who took fifth place in the 400-meter dash at state in 2013, opted to qualify for state in the 4×400-meter relay with seniors Caleb Swanson and Dillon Mohr and junior Zeth Langworthy. It was a good choice, as the squad earned points with an eighth-place finish in 3:32.03.

Junior Luke Maher made his state debut as the lone field athlete for Rush City in the pole vault. Maher placed 12th by clearing 12-0.